Beaumont Tiles sweeps up fellow family business Majer Tiles

Nationwide tile retailer Beaumont Tiles appears to be on a spending spree, after making its third major acquisition, purchasing Queensland-based business Majer Tiles for an undisclosed sum.

Beaumont Tiles is the trading name for ceramic tile retailer RJ Beaumont and Co Pty Ltd, which distributes ceramic tiles and bathroomware throughout Australia.

Established in 1960 by RJ Beaumont, the family-owned business is now directed by RJ’s four sons, including chief executive and executive chairman Bob Beaumont.

With a network of 86 outlets – a mix of franchises and corporate stores – it is Australia’s largest tile group.

It has now acquired Majer Tiles, a family business founded in Cairns, which has six stores and two warehouses in Cairns, Brisbane, Townsville, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast.

It is the company’s third major acquisition, having undertaken several other single-store acquisitions in recent years. This deal boosts Beaumont Tiles’ Queensland presence to 25 stores.

Majer Tiles was established in 1967 by Lou Majer, who is regarded as a pioneer of the Queensland tile industry. The business deals exclusively in quality tiles from Europe and Asia.

Managing director Tony Majer has been appointed Queensland state manager of Beaumont Tiles as a result of the deal.

According to Majer, the announcement is great news for his employees, and the construction and home improvement sectors generally.

“We are working towards retaining all current Majer Tiles employees, and this will be a catalyst for the opening of a new warehouse in Brisbane,” Majer said in a statement.

“Beaumont Tiles will [also] make a $2 million-plus investment in integrating IT systems.”

Beaumont Tiles chief operations officer Danny Casey said Majer Tiles was an attractive investment for several reasons.

“There were strong synergies between the companies and a similar ethos that grew out of being family businesses,” Casey said.

“Majer Tiles was founded in Cairns 44 years ago. Tony is well known throughout the industry and brings a wealth of experience to the new business.”

However, Bob Beaumont has flagged several changes that will take place.

“While the commitment to service will stay the same, home and commercial customers will notice an expanded product range and lower prices that the expanded group’s buying power will bring,” he said.

Meanwhile, Majer has highlighted figures from the Housing Industry Association, which predicts a 7.4% surge in Queensland kitchen and bathroom installations in 2012-13.

“The most recent HIA prediction for Queensland was for a 7.5% growth in home renovations, which would place the state second only to Tasmania,” Majer said.

“The HIA says that while Queensland renovation spending fell by nearly 2% in late 2011, we then entered a significant upswing.

“The high costs of moving and cautious household spending have been driving owner-occupiers to invest in their existing properties, and we’ve certainly been seeing that in our business.”